Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, February 17, 1961

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, February 17, 1961
Start: 1961-02-17T16:30
End: 1961-02-17T20:30
Location: Oklahoma

February 17, 1961 · 14 events in 11 counties and zones

9 tornado, 4 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 19
Property damage: $15 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 14

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

9 tornado, 4 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, McClain

When: February 17, 4:30 PM CST
Where: McClain County
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 34.880, -97.500

Hail, McClain

When: February 17, 4:30 PM CST
Where: McClain County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 35.080, -97.400

Tornado, Oklahoma

When: February 17, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Oklahoma County
Rating: F3
Path length: 16.8 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Injuries: 7 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.520, -97.380

Hail, Kingfisher

When: February 17, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Kingfisher County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 35.780, -97.900

Hail, Oklahoma

When: February 17, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Oklahoma County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.380, -97.580

Tornado, Garvin

When: February 17, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Garvin County
Rating: F3
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.800, -96.950

Tornado, Pontotoc

When: February 17, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Pontotoc County
Rating: F3
Path length: 12 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.820, -96.920

Tornado, Seminole

When: February 17, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Seminole County
Rating: F3
Path length: 25 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Injuries: 7 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.930, -96.770

Tornado, Pottawatomie

When: February 17, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Rating: F2
Path length: 6.6 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.330, -97.100

Tornado, Hughes

When: February 17, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Hughes County
Rating: F3
Path length: 13 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.170, -96.450

Tornado, Okfuskee

When: February 17, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Okfuskee County
Rating: F3
Path length: 12 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.280, -96.270

Hail, Marshall

When: February 17, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 34.080, -96.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When: February 17, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Coordinates: 34.080, -96.780

Tornado, Okmulgee

When: February 17, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Okmulgee County
Rating: F3
Path length: 9 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.400, -96.080

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, February 17, 1961$3,000 · F2 · 5 events

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1961 Every state in 1961 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1961

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10091756, 10091757, 10091758, 10091759, 10091760, 10091761, 10091762, 10091763, 10091764, 10091765, 10091766, 10091767, 10096094, 10096095.